Roman Bohnen

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Roman Bohnen (November 24, 1894^[1] or 1901^[2] - February 24, 1949) was a stage and film actor.

Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Bohnen attended the University of Minnesota, graduating in 1923 with a B.A. He served his acting apprenticeship in theater companies in St. Paul and Chicago before making his Broadway debut in 1931 in As Husbands Go. Between 1934 and 1940, he belonged to the Group Theatre and appeared in numerous plays. Incubator, which he co-wrote with John Lyman, was produced in 1932.

Bohnen's first film was the 1937 Vogues of 1938. By 1941, he was working almost exclusively in film. Among his better-known roles are Candy in Of Mice and Men (1939) and Pat Derry in The Best Years of Our Lives (1946).

Bohnen was married to actress Hildur Ouse, with whom he had one daughter, Marina. Hildur died in 1941.

A co-founder of the politically-active Actors Laboratory Theatre, he was working on its production of A Distant Isle when he collapsed and died in Hollywood, California in 1949. After his death, he was blacklisted by the House Un-American Activities Committee.